Outdoor Recreation 

fishing, hiking, skiing, state parks and forests, picnic areas
Pa. national historic parks, NY State Parks (Finger Lakes)
Wildlife Viewing Areas

Book Store

Hiking and Camping Book Catalog
Catalog of over 500 Backpacking and Hiking Guides
Birdwatching Fieldguides
Mountain Climbing
Over 200 books about flyfishing
Guides to State Parks and Forests
Over 1000 Guides to Skiing - Downhill and Cross Country

Caves and Caverns

Coral Caverns

Located 6 miles west of Bedford. Rich abundance of stalactites and stalagmites and fossils. Coral Caverns is the only known coral reef cavern in existance.

Crystal Cave

Just off Rt. 222 near Kutztown. Crystal Cave is the most visted cave in Pennsylvania. It is known for its profuse and varied formations.

Indian Echo Caverns

Less than 1/2 mile from US Rt. 322 west of Hershey. Take the Middletown/Hummelstown exit and follow the signs; the cavern turnoff is on the right. A miniature golf course and ice cream shop are located right outside the cavern grounds. There is ample parking under large trees. Cavern tours begin every ten to fifteen minutes. Group reservations are suggested. The caverns are open all year long; daily from March through October

Laurel Caverns

Laurel Caverns contains almost three miles of passageways, and is unique in that it is a true catacomb cavern -- carved by streams, it has no traditional cave formations. Twisty passages meander underground like a maze, allowing the tour route to be changed on a regular basis. For current rates and hours, contact:Laurel Caverns, Rd 1 Box 10, Farmington PA 15437, 412-438-3003

Lost River Caverns

Families can picnic in the park across the street from the caverns. Several spaces are available for trailer camping. For current hours and rates, contact: Lost River Caverns, Hellertown, PA 18055, 610-838-8767

Penn's Cave

After the mile-long trip on the underground river, stop by the visitor’s center, where you can browse through antiques and souvenirs. The gift shop is exceptionally large and stocked with a wide variety of Amish crafts and antiques. Minerals, books on geology, and "pan your own gem" bags sprawl across one corner of the shop. Buy a bag of sand salted with gems and let the kids get dirty panning for gems at the sluice outside the front door. For current hours and rates, contact:Penn’s Cave, Centre Hall, PA 16828, 814-364-1664

Woodward Cave

Five Big Rooms. Experienced Guides. Large, Well Lit Passages. Known as "The Big One". Opened to the public in 1925 and located on Rt. 45 west of Milheim.

Pa. State Forests

The State Forests of Pennsylvania are located in 48 counties of the Commonwealth, comprise over 2 million acres. This is about one-tenth of the Commonwealth's total forest area.

The purpose of the State Forests, according to law, is: "To provide a continuous supply of timber, lumber, wood and other forest products, to protect the watersheds, conserve the water, and regulate the flow of rivers and streams of the State and to furnish opportunities for healthful recreation to the public."

The State Forests belong to the people of Pennsylvania for whom they are administered by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and are open for the enjoyment of the public.

They are administered in such a way that they may serve the highest and best use to the citizens of the Commonwealth.

Within the broad limits of the State Forest Regulations, visitors should observe a few simple rules.They should be careful with fire, protect the trees from damage, keep the camp and park areas clean and obey the game and fish laws.

Several State Forest Picnic Areas are maintained for use and enjoyment of the public. These areas are equipped with picnic tables, fireplaces, water, parking and other facilities for the convenience of visitors.

More than 4,200 camp sites are leased to individuals, clubs and other organizations.

State Forests can be accessed through more than 2,600 miles of roads and 2,500 miles of foot trails.

The Department maintains two Forest Tree Nurseries that have an annual production of 5 million forest tree seedlings which are sold to the citizens of the Commonwealth for reforesting their lands.

Seventy-nine (79) forest fire observation towers are used during the fire season to promptly report fires.

There are 44 designated Natural Areas in state forest lands covering 58,004 acres. Natural areas are set aside to provide locations for scientific observation as well as to protect examples of plant and animal communities and outstanding examples of natural interest and beauty.

Fifteen Wild Areas are spread over 106,754 acres and are managed in a manner which retains the undeveloped character of the forests for persons who enjoy hiking, hunting, fishing and the pursuit of peace and solitude.

Thirty-five(35) municipalities have either all or a large part of their watersheds within the State Forests.

Eleven (11) municipalities have water supply impounding dams within the State Forests.

Many of the best hunting grounds, finest fishing streams and grandest views within the Commonwealth are found within the State Forests.

To handle its forests properly and to give assistance to private land owners, the Department has divided the Commonwealth into 20 Forest Districts.

Each Forest District has a headquarters or Forest District office headed by a District Forester.

Information about pennsylvania's state forest provided by pa.recreation.com

Allegheny National Forest Bald Eagle Buchanan Clear Creek Cornplanter Delaware Elk Forbes Gallitzin Lackawanna

Michaux Moshannon Rothrock Sproul Susquehannock Tiadaghton Tioga Tuscarora Weiser Wyoming

Picnic Areas

info provided by recreation.gov

National Historic Parks in Pennsylvania

Allegheny Portage Railroad  National Historic Site  Appalachian Trail  Delaware Water Gap National  Recreation Area  Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site  Eisenhower National Historic Site  Friendship Hill National Historic Site  Fort Necessity National Battlefield Gettysburg National Military Park

Heritage Route-The Path of Progress  Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site  Independence National Historic Park Johnstown Flood National Memorial Steamtown National Historic Site Upper Delaware Scenic and Recreational River  Valley Forge National Historic Park

The Finger Lakes - New York State

The Gorge At Watkins Glen
Photo Courtesy of New York State Park, Recreation and Historic Preservation.

Take the family on a trip through New York State's beautiful parks and recreation areas, it's only a couple of hours away and well worth the trip.

 My favorite destination is the Finger Lake area, we've made the annual trip for over 25 years - camping, hiking, antiquing. The Gorge at Watkins Glen is an incredible sight. The one-and-one-half-mile-long trough was scoured by glaciers, creating 19 waterfalls and 300-foot shale and sandstone cliffs. Walk back down on the Indian trail. This is a great family camping vacation There is camping at the park or you can find many campgrounds and bed and breakfasts all over the area. And do not miss the laser light show at dusk, the kids will love it and so will you. The show tells the story of the gorge and the Seneca indians. 

Foot trails follow the rim of the gorge.  Many steep trails have stone steps and pass through caverns behind the waterfalls. The park is an excellent place for backpackers to pick up the Finger Lakes Trail, which traverses the state. The state park has 305 campsites, active recreation programs, an Olympic-size swimming pool and two prime fishing lakes.

You can take a boat ride around Seneca Lake, Captain Bill's Tours has regular trips and dinner and brunch cruises. The whole family will enjoy the ice cream and miniature golf. Don't forget that this is wine country, there are dozens of wineries and tours as you drive along and enjoy the beautiful scenery

Watkins Glen State Park
Watkins Glen, NY
P.O. Box 304
Watkins Glen, NY 14891
607-535-4511

Pennsylvania Fly Fishing

Fishing License Information

Pennsylvania Stream Reports

Special Regulations Areas 2001

ALLEGHENY: Pine Township Park Pond
No-Kill - Unlawful to kill or possess any fish. All fish caught must be immediately returned.

BEAVER: Hopewell Township Park Lake
Bass - 15-inch minimum size, creel limit 2 per day. Panfish - Creel limit 10 combined species per day. Use of live fish for bait is prohibited. All other species - Inland Regulations apply.

CENTRE: Spring Creek Trout Management Area - From S.R. 3010 Bridge at Oak Hall above the HRI Quarry, formerly Neidig BrotherÕs Limestone Co., to the mouth.
Fishing may be done with artificial lures, flies or streamers, nat-ural bait, baitfish and fishbait. Angling is permitted year round (no closed season). It is unlawful to kill or possess any fish in this area and all fish caught must be immediately returned to the water. Anglers should be aware that other special regulations are in effect on this water at FishermanÕs Paradise and the Exhibition Area near Bellefonte.

CHESTER/MONTGOMERY: Valley Creek - at Valley Forge) and tributaries including Little Valley Creek. (Fishing permitted year-round).
No-kill Zone - Unlawful to kill or possess any fish. All fish caught must be immediately returned. Valley Forge National Park has imposed special bait restrictions, check local posters. Elk Creek (Big Elk Creek) - Maximum size limit of eight inch- es applies to taking or possessing blueback herring and alewife.

CLARION: Beaver Creek Ponds
Closed to fishing from 12:01 a.m. January 1 to 12:01 a.m. first Saturday after June 11. Bass - 15-inch minimum size, creel limit 2 per day on entire project area. Panfish - Creel limit 10 per day combined species on entire area. All other species - Inland Regulations apply.

CRAWFORD/ERIE: Conneaut Creek, E. Branch Conneaut Creek, M. Branch Conneaut Creek, W. Branch Conneaut Creek, Mud Run, Stone Run
Salmon and Steelhead: 12:01 a.m. the day after Labor Day until midnight the Thursday before the opening day of trout sea-son in April. Minimum size limit: 15 inches. Daily creel limit: 3 (combined species).

CRAWFORD: Tamarack Lake - Lake closed to public fishing until the first day of the 2001 bass season.

CRAWFORD: Crazy Run
Salmon and Steelhead: 12:01 a.m. the day after Labor Day until midnight the Thursday before the opening day of trout sea-son in April. Minimum size limit: 15 inches. Daily creel limit: 3 (combined species).

CRAWFORD: Paden Creek and Linesville Creek
Nursery waters and closed to all fishing during the period March 1 through April 15. Waters involved are Paden Creek (Finley Creek) from the mouth upstream to ÒFinley BridgeÓ on S.R. 6 and Linesville Creek from the mouth (Pymatuning Sanctuary upstream to the Conrail Railroad bridge north of S.R. 6 in Linesville.

ERIE: E. Branch Conneaut Creek, Marsh Run, Temple Run, Turkey Creek
Salmon and Steelhead: 12:01 a.m. the day after Labor Day until midnight the Thursday before the opening day of trout season in April. Minimum size limit: 15 inches. Daily creel limit: 3 (com-bined species).

GREENE: Dunkard Creek - From the confluence of Shannon Run at the ford on T-339 downstream 4.2 miles to S.R. 2009 Bridge.
Unlawful to kill or possess smallmouth, largemouth or spotted bass. All other species - Inland Regulations apply.

HUNTINGDON: Raystown Lake and Raystown Branch - From dam downstream to Juniata River.
Trout (all species) no closed season. Creel limit 5 per day dur-ing regular season; 3 per day from the day after Labor Day to 8 a.m. on the opening day of next regular season, minimum size - 7 inches. All other species - Inland Regulations apply.
Raystown Lake and Tributaries - Smelt may be taken with a dip net from the shore or by wading only. Dip net may not exceed 20 inches in diameter or square. Daily limit - 200 smelt or one gallon by volume, whichever is greater.

HUNTINGDON: Raystown Lake
The Executive Director or his designee may issue permits for use of cast nets or throw nets for taking the gizzard shad and/or alewife on Lake Raystown. In addition to such other permit con-ditions as the Executive Director may require under 58 Pa. Code 63.13(b), such permits shall be limited to cast nets or throw nets of no greater than 6 feet in radius (12 feet in diameter with a mesh size of no less than 3/8 inches).

LACKAWANNA: Lake Scranton
It is unlawful for any person to fish from the fishing pier des-ignated for use by persons with disabilities unless such person is totally blind or so severely disabled that he or she is unable to cast or retrieve a line or bait hooks and remove fish. Such person may fish with only one legal device and must be within 10 feet of the device being used. A person authorized to fish from the fishing pier under the above rules may be attended by another individual who may assist the person with the disability in using the fishing device.

LUZERNE: Harveys Lake
The daily limit is 3 trout (combined species) during the period from 8 a.m. on the opening day of trout season through midnight March 31. Only one of the 3 trout daily limit may exceed 18 inch-es in length. The lake is closed to fishing from April 1 until 8 a.m. on the opening day of trout season. Inland regulations apply to warmwater/coolwater species.

MERCER: Shenango River - From dam downstream 1.5 miles to S.R. 3025.
Closed season on trout - April 1 until 8 a.m., on the opening day of regular trout season. Daily limit - Opening day of trout sea-son to Labor Day - 5 trout; day after Labor Day to midnight March 31 of following year - 3 trout. All other species - Inland Regulations apply.

MONROE/PIKE: Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area - The use of eel chutes, eelpots and fyke nets is prohibited. The taking of the following fishbait is prohibited: crayfish or crabs, mussels, clams and the nymphs, larva and pupae of all insects spending any part of their life cycle in the water. The tak-ing, catching, killing and possession of any species of amphibian or reptiles within the boundaries of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is prohibited.

SOMERSET/FAYETTE/WESTMORELAND/ALLEGHENY: Youghiogheny River - (1 mile) From reservoir downstream to con-fluence with Casselman River.
Closed season on trout - April 1 until 8 a.m. first Saturday after April 11. Daily limit - 8 a.m. on the opening day of trout season to Labor Day - 5 trout; day after Labor Day to midnight March 31 of following year - 3 trout. All other species - Inland Regulations apply. Youghiogheny River - From the confluence with Casselman River downstream to the confluence with Ramcat Run and Youghiogheny river from the pipeline crossing at the confluence with Lick Run downstream to the mouth of the river.
No closed season on trout. Daily limit - Opening day of trout season to Labor Day - 5 trout; day after Labor Day to midnight opening day of trout season of following year - 3 trout. All other species - Inland Regulations apply.

WARREN: Allegheny River - 8.75 miles: From outflow of Allegheny Reservoir downstream to confluence of Conewango Creek.
From 8 a.m. on the opening day of the regular trout season until midnight Labor Day the minimum size for trout is 14 inches and the daily limit is 2 (combined species). From midnight Labor Day until 8 a.m. of the opening day of the trout season of following year, no trout may be killed or had in possession.

WASHINGTON: Little Chartiers Creek - From Canonsburg Lake Dam approximately 0.25 mile downstream to mouth.
No fishing from 12:01 a.m. March 1 to 8 a.m. opening day of trout season.

WAYNE: Duck Harbor Pond Trout - 14-inch minimum size limit. Creel limit 2 per day from 8 a.m. on the opening opening day of trout season to midnight on the last day of February. NO HARVEST during the rest of the year. All other species - Inland Regulations apply.

WAYNE: West Branch, Delaware River - From the Pennsylvania/New York border downstream to the confluence with the East Branch of the Delaware River. Artificial Lures Only Season runs from October 1 to 8 a.m. on the opening day of trout season.
Fishing may be done with artificial lures only, constructed of metal, plastic, rubber or wood, or flies or streamers constructed of natural or synthetic materials. All lures may be used with spinning or fly fishing gear. Anything other than these items is prohibited. Specifically prohibited are the use of molded facsimiles or repli-cas of insects, earthworms, fish eggs, fish or any invertebrate or vertebrate either singly or in combination with the other materials.
The use or possession of natural bait, baitfish and fishbait and the use of any other device natural or synthetic, capable of catch-ing fish other than artificial lures is prohibited.
The daily creel limit of trout is zero (0).

WESTMORELAND: Indian Lake (North Huntingdon Township)
Bass - 15-inch minimum size limit. Daily limit 2 per day. Panfish (combined species) - Daily limit 10 per day. All other Species - Inland Regulations apply.

© 2001 David Kile